Happy Monday, folks! Here’s a new chapter of ADTR to brighten the beginning of your week.

Previously: Hax tried to get out of the deal with the Faceless but had no luck.

Currently: Mac and the crew attempt to meet up with Molly but encounter trouble.

A Dread Tide Rising is a serialized, pulp-flavored, epic fantasy novel that follows the Talon, a group of mercenaries, thieves, and smugglers, as they come face-to-face with an ancient enemy intent on the destruction of the Rakkian Empire.

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Chapter 28

The air stank. Mac bore it stoically, as he did the ever-present cries of the gulls and the press of human bodies from all sides. Even at this relatively early hour, the docks were awash in activity. Teamsters moved goods from warehouses to ships and the other way around. Wagons groaned under heavy loads, and drivers cursed their beasts of burden. Sanean slaves, their faces Marked, went about their masters’ business with their heads down.

Everywhere he looked, there was motion and color, a huge, heaving sea of humanity that mirrored the waves lapping in the harbor. Ships creaked at anchor, and sailors sauntered through the crowd, some already drunk as they spent their earnings. Many would never make it back to their ships, Mac knew. Slavers waited for the unwary, dragging them away from where they passed out, pressing them into labor gangs, and then putting them to work on behalf of the empire.

“Why does Molly want to meet at the docks of all places?” Gorm asked, his deep voice barely carrying over the noise.

Mac shrugged. “Her note didn’t say, but I’m sure she has her reasons.”

“I’d really rather we went up the Hill,” Wynne interjected. “Her place is so exotic!”

“That’s one way of putting it,” Mac agreed. Molly’s living arrangements were unique. As one of Rakka’s ambassadors, she was entitled to housing and an income from the crown. The emperors learned long ago that it was far more cost-effective to keep such functionaries close at hand and provide them with housing, instead of simply paying for whatever homes they might want to purchase on the island. Molly’s home, The Hollow, was one of the results of that insight.

“I heard that the lordling who originally built it wanted to keep all his mistresses in one place. That’s why it’s designed the way it is,” Wynne continued.

“Could be,” Mac said, noncommittally. It seemed as likely an explanation of the place’s unique layout as anything else. The Hollow was more like a collection of homes than a single residence. It occupied a small valley on the side of the Hill, slightly below Nobility Row, but above the Merchant’s Quarter. The Hollow lay scattered through the valley, perched precariously on stones overlooking the city below, connected by cobblestone paths and stone bridges. Several were guesthouses, while Molly’s quarters were in the largest structure. The rest were used for cooking, storage, and other needs. It was only accessible from the portion of the road that held the nobles’ homes, giving some strength to the argument that some forgotten lord or other had built the place. The emperor had given the place to Molly so she would be close when he needed her.

Suddenly, traffic slowed and then stopped. Horses pawed at the cobbles, and porters cursed. Ahead, Mac could make out raised voices and the sounds of fighting.

“What’s going on?” Kye wanted to know.

Mac shook his head. “No idea.” He looked to Pax. “Why don’t you reconnoiter?”

Pax flashed him a grin. “Happy to,” she said, melting into the surrounding crowd.

“Let’s just hold here until she gets back,” Mac said, shoving back against people jostling him. “We just need to avoid getting trampled to death.”

That proved harder than it sounded. People, animals, and carts pressed in on all sides as the congestion grew. Tempers around them began to flare.

“What’s going on?” one woman demanded.

“I got deadlines to meet, get out of my way!” shouted a man.

“Well, aren’t you special?” someone rejoined. “The rest of us are just here for a morning stroll.”

“Watch yer mouth,” the first man growled, fist clenched. “You want my fist in your face?”

“Just try it!” came the reply.

And so it went. “What’s taking your sister so long?” Mac asked Hax. “Things are going to get ugly hereabouts, and I don’t want to be in the vicinity when they do.”

Just then, Pax reappeared. She materialized in front of Mac just as quickly as she’d vanished. “We need to leave. Now.”

“What is it?” Mac asked with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

“Priests of the One God,” she spat. “They’re searching everyone for anything related to other gods.”

“What?” Mac asked, disbelieving. The One’s adherents had always been intolerant of others, but even when the emperor converted, the priests had not dared to take such an active role.

“Talismans, figurines, books…they’re seizing it all. Someone said they’ve even started arresting priests of other religions,” she continued.

“This is bad, Mac,” Gorm said.

“No kidding. Thankfully, none of us are priests. Anyone carrying any religious bric-a-brac?” Mac asked the group. No one was. “Good. Can Gorm slip through the crowd on his own without the priests noticing?” he asked Pax.

She shook her head. “The priests aren’t letting anyone through until they’ve been searched. They’ve got enforcers, too. It looks like they’ve even closed down some of the other roads and intersections, and there are other groups across the docks doing the same thing.”

“Damn,” Mac muttered. “We go back to the inn, and I’ll send word to Molly to meet us there.” He looked at Gorm. “This might make things challenging getting back to the ship.”

Gorm nodded. “We can try tonight after the crowd’s dispersed, maybe.”

“Why does it matter?” Kye asked. “I mean, other than the delay, why do we need to avoid the priests?”

“Gorm’ll never make it through,” Mac replied. “The Clans of the Path won’t let the priests set up a temple to the One God, and now there’s bad blood between them both. They’ll seize Gorm for who he is and where he’s from, and probably us too, just for harboring him.”

“Oh,” Kye said as she glanced side-eyed at the big man.

“Don’t feel bad, little one,” he told her. “Things aren’t as simple as Mac would have you believe. My people allow no temples to be built, not just for the One God. And the bad blood has been there for generations between the One God’s surly priests and the Clans of the Path.”

“Why?” Kye wanted to know.

Gorm shook his head. “It’s a long story. Maybe one day I’ll tell you the whole of it. For now, let’s just say that his priests aren’t used to being thwarted and they have little problem forcing the issue if they must.”

Mac knew Gorm was barely touching on what had happened. That particular incident had caused serious turmoil and probably would for a long time. Blood in the water tended to do that.

Kye cast a baleful eye toward the priests, and Gorm laughed. “It’s not their fault,” he rumbled. “They’re misguided, is all. Delusion abounds in this illusory world, and priests are not proof against it.”

“Complicit, more like,” Mac interjected sourly. He glanced around, taking in the tight-pressed bodies. “Well, now we need another route. Can’t go back the way we came. Can’t go forward.”

“To the side, then,” Kye grinned and slipped into the crowd, finding her way between people with all the ease of years spent slitting purses on the street.

“That’s not quite what I had in mind,” Mac grumbled. “Still, I don’t suppose there’s anything else for it.” Without another word, he followed Kye into the thick of things. Unlike the young thief, Mac had to thread his way more carefully, apologizing for stepping on the odd toe or the random elbow to the chest. Behind him, he could hear the others doing the same. It went surprisingly well, and the press thinned out appreciably just a street or two over.

The Talon emerged from the throng mostly undamaged, although Mac had heard several people squawk in protest as Gorm shouldered his way through. The big man tried his best to be gentle, but sometimes you just had to walk through someone’s protests. And someone Gorm’s size was never going to squeeze through tight spaces without ruffling a few feathers. A little breathless from the crossing, the Talon regrouped in front of a row of warehouses. Behind them, the crowd continued to grow. Behind the warehouses, Mac glimpsed gray waves and realized why the press was less.

“There’s nowhere else to go from here,” he said. “Any further and we’d be ass-deep in the harbor.” He glanced back the way they had come. It was a sea of jostling humanity as far as he could see. He whistled, long and low. “The merchants and teamsters will be up in arms about this. How much do you think this little stunt will cost them?”

Pax laughed. “The emperor’s going to have an uprising on his hands.”

“They’re not going to take this disruption lightly, that’s for sure,” Gorm agreed. “It remains to be seen whether the emperor will reprimand the priests, though.”

“Won’t happen,” Kye chimed in. “Everyone knows the priests have got the emperor in their pocket.”

Mac looked up the Hill toward the imperial palace and the imposing pyramid that was the One God’s temple. No other building stood on the height, and no other god’s temple had ever done so. It could be that the girl was right, and the emperor was a convert to the One God in more than name. He wondered what that would mean for the rest of the empire.

“Look out,” Hax warned. The crowd behind them swelled as people joined the throng and sought ways around the bottleneck. Angry shouts in the distance warned of potential violence, and Mac felt a change in the atmosphere. Something palpable hung in the air, like the heaviness before a thunderstorm. Hax had been standing closest to the edge of the crowd, letting the waves break on his body. Now the sea of humanity was surging higher and pushing him back into the rest of the Talon. Gorm put himself behind the fighter to support him, but anyone could tell the dam was about to burst.

“We need to go, Mac,” Hax said as the last wave receded. “It’s about to get messy hereabouts.”

“You’re not wrong,” Mac agreed. Glancing around, the mouths of empty warehouses yawned dark. Movement along the road behind them caught his attention. Someone was moving quickly along the fringe of the crowd toward their position. Well, several someones it looked like. Mac could make out three figures picking their way forward. Mac did a double-take. One of the figures looked remarkably familiar, golden-skinned and tawny-haired. And she was waving.

“Mac!” The woman’s voice could be heard just above the crowd.

“Molly?” Mac was incredulous. “What in Azair’s hells?” He demanded, more to himself than anyone. “Come on, the lot of you,” he ordered and rushed on, intent on reaching the newcomers as quickly as possible.

“What are you doing?” Mac demanded as he embraced Molly.

“Trying to find you! It’s madness out here.” Molly broke from his embrace to give the others quick greetings. The two men with her turned out to be armed escorts, although Mac doubted whether their swords would do much good against such a press of bodies.

“I thought you were going to wait for us?” Mac asked.

“I tried, but our rendezvous spot was overrun,” Molly answered, gesturing at the crowd surging around them.

“We need to get out of here, milady,” one of the guards suggested.

“I agree,” Gorm rumbled. “But where to go?”

“I know a place,” Hax piped in. “It’s not too far from here, so we should be able to reach it without too much problem.”

“Won’t it be overrun, too?” Wynne wanted to know.

“I doubt it. It should be safe inside,” Hax replied, not meeting Wynne’s eyes.

“That’s good enough for me,” Mac said. “Lead the way.”

Hax looked from Mac to Molly. “Right, let’s go. It’s this way.”

He set off back the way Molly and her guardians had come before cutting into the crowd once more. “Everyone, keep Gorm in sight,” Mac ordered as the Talon made its slow way through the sea of humanity. The angry shouts in the distance were closer and louder now. More people were losing patience with the situation, whether because they were being persecuted by priests or simply tired of being caught in the press.

Mac let Hax lead the group while he tried to keep an eye on everyone. He was not very worried about Molly. She had her soldiers close about her. Gorm could take care of himself, and Mac knew the big man would keep a close eye on Wynne. Pax was more than capable of protecting herself against armed opponents, but her position at the rear meant she was always at risk of being separated by the press of bodies. Mac was more worried about Kye. While Wynne did her best to keep the girl in tow, her small stature made it harder to spot her amidst the throng.

“How much farther to this Mali-damned spot of yours?” Mac asked. He had to yell to be heard over the crowd, which surged around them now like an angry human sea. The angry shouts were all around them now. In the distance, the crash of shattering glass and crunch of splintering wood told him this was quickly turning into a full-scale riot.

“Not long now,” Hax called back, his voice almost drowned beneath the surge of voices and the clash of weapons in the distance.

And then it happened. Kye was there one minute, but when Mac looked again, there was no sign of the girl. He looked left and right, but saw nothing. “Kye!” he yelled. “Kye!” There was no answer, or at least none that he could hear.

“Gorm,” Mac yelled. “Give me a hand up!”

The big warrior instantly understood. He cupped his hands to make a stirrup, and Mac stepped into them. With one hand on Gorm’s head, he could see over the throng. Violence had erupted back the way they had come; Mac made out the glint of sunlight on weapons. Faintly, cries of anger and pain came to their ears. The crowd surged back from the violence, people seeking to put as much distance as possible between them and a blade or cudgel. That rippled through the throng, moving outward like waves from a stone thrown in the water. Headed toward the Talon and the missing Kye.

Mac spotted a flash of color in the throng. Kye? He looked again, but it was just someone’s cloak. Then he heard Kye’s voice calling out for him.

“Mac, I’m here!”

Frantically, he cast about, desperate for any sign of the girl. All that he found were heaving bodies as people tried to get out of the way or fought for their place.

“Mac! Mac, help me!” her voice came again.

“Godsdamn it,” Mac growled. “Hoist me higher!” He ordered. Gorm grunted with the effort but managed to give Mac another few inches in height.

It was enough.

“There!” he shouted, pointing toward the harbor. Kye was being dragged away from them. Mac counted at least three men. One had the girl about the waist and was doing his best to fend off her kicks and punches. The other two matched him stride for stride, making Mac assume they were together.

“Gorm, they’re taking her!” He shouted.

Grom dropped him to the road. “Who’s taking her?” He asked, but the pair were already in motion. Behind them, Mac heard the rest of the Talon leap into action without the need for any orders.

“Damn if I know, but they’re making toward the harbor and not being shy about who sees them.”

“I’m taking a shortcut,” Hax shouted. Mac caught a glimpse of the warrior as he peeled off down a side alley.

“Where the hell is he going?” he wondered aloud, but if Hax knew how to get to Kye faster, that was great. He huffed and puffed, trying to avoid crashing into too many people while keeping up the pell-mell pace. Within a few minutes, all that he could hear was his heartbeat pounding in his ears. Gorm kept pace beside him, the big man somehow nimbly avoiding crushing anyone in his path.

And then they were there. The crowd parted slightly just ahead, and Mac could see the men, Kye in tow. Suddenly, Hax was there. The man shot out of an alley mouth like a cork out of a bottle. He plowed into the man carrying Kye, sending him to the cobbles and landing atop him. Kye hit too, and Mac winced, but the girl was up and moving in the blink of an eye. She ran to Wynne, who had her crossbow trained on the group ahead of them.

The two men Mac had thought were accompanying the one carrying Kye moved to take Hax out. He hot-footed it the last few feet.

“…not what was agreed, gods damn you,” he heard Hax swear before he smashed a fist into the man’s unfortunate face.

“Get off him, friend, and I’ll not have to poke you full of holes,” snarled one of the other men, brandishing a dagger. The other one held no weapon, but with fists the size of hams, Mac guessed he did not need one.

“Now, let’s not get tetchy,” Mac said, stepping up behind ham-fist, sword to his back. The other man stopped mid-step.

“You don’t want to get involved in this,” the man with the dagger said.

“Not particularly, but it seems I already am. Faceless thugs kidnap one of my crew and threaten another, I’m most certainly involved. So, let’s take things a touch slower, or your friend here’ll get a foot of steel through his liver.”

Further discussion was cut off when the man Hax had landed on brought a knee up and caught Hax in the groin. Hax groaned and rolled off, giving the downed man the opportunity to leap to his feet. Mac saw him glance back toward Kye and register the crossbow aimed at his head before he darted into the crowd. The man with the dagger wasted no time in following his example, and even Ham Fist made a run for it. Mac started to follow them, but thought better of it. Kye was back now, and they still had to contend with the crowd, although the crush was less here.

Groaning, Hax stumbled to his feet and made to go after the fleeing men. “Leave them,” Mac ordered, grabbing Hax by the shoulder. “We need to get Kye and Molly somewhere safe. Then we need to have us a chat.”

Hax glanced at his face, but Mac kept his expression carefully neutral. Hax nodded. “I like that plan,” Hax said before hobbling back toward the rest of the group, holding his injured groin and groaning.

Once back with the others, Mac gathered everyone close. “I can only assume those were enforcers from the Faceless?” he asked Kye. The girl hesitated and then nodded.

“You don’t look sure,” he said, hand straying unconsciously to Molly’s arm.

Kye shrugged. “I tried to sign to them, but they didn’t respond. They looked the part, but they didn’t feel right.”

“Feel right? Either they’re thugs working for your former guild, or they’re not. I don’t see where ‘feel’ enters into it.”

“Hush, Mac,” Wynne chided him. “Can’t you see that she’s upset?”

Mac sighed. “Not trying to be harsh or anything. Just need a bit of clarity, is all.” He shot Hax a glance. “Seems to be in short supply these days.”

“I don’t think they were Faceless,” Kye admitted after a moment. “I think they were shapeshifters.”

“Jarl’s at it again,” Mac said.

“We really need to do something about him,” Gorm muttered. “It feels like every time we turn around, his hand’s behind some new threat to us and ours.”

Mac could not disagree.

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